700,000 Miles in an Old Jetta

–home –700,000 Miles in an Old Jetta I’m thinking back to the Winter of 2011. After much research and clicking of “filter by lowest price first,” I found and purchased a Black 1999.5 Jetta TDI.  It had around 160,000 miles, the ALH diesel engine, a 5 speed manual, and the interior was dirty enough and […]

About ThePaperTrails (About Me)

–home –About ThePaperTrails (and About Me)   This is where I write things down. Some of it comes from work, some from time outside, and some from trying to make sense of things I don’t fully understand yet. Some of it isn’t meant to be polished or complete. Some of it is just a record […]

Adapting and Coping with the help of Nature

–home –Adapting and Coping with the Help of Nature Nature is not well-defined.  It offers challenges not found in the classroom, or in video games, or on the baseball field.   There is no answer key in nature, no cheat codes or levels, no winning and losing. There are no trophies or badges given out by […]

Shelter, Safety, and the Storm that Took them Both.

“The whole thing felt surreal, almost dreamlike—only the fatigue in my arms and shoulders reminded me that it wasn’t a dream. Once we reached the point at the end of the island, we aimed back into the waves and made for the opposite shore, upwind of where the boat launch should be. Once we could see the shore, we spun the canoe so the wind was behind us, and blew down the lake until we spotted the stone wall near the launch. My friend pulled the canoe ashore while I ran to the parking area to get my car. I felt relieved, thinking that the hard part was over—we just had to make a call.”